How to Say Thank You in Cantonese (Without Embarrassing Yourself)

So you've been learning Cantonese, and you just figured out there are two different ways to say thank you. And they're not interchangeable. Great.

If you're coming from English, this probably seems unnecessarily complicated. We have one "thank you" that works for everything—whether someone held the door or saved your life. But Cantonese doesn't work that way, and if you mess this up, you'll either sound weird or actually come across as rude.

Here's what you actually need to know about saying thank you in Cantonese, how to use each form correctly, and why this matters more than you think.

The Two Forms: 唔該 vs. 多謝

Cantonese has two main expressions for gratitude: 唔該 (m4 goi1) and 多謝 (do1 ze6). They both translate to "thank you" in English, but they're used in completely different situations.

唔該 (m4 goi1) is what you say for services and small favors. Think: someone brings you water at a restaurant, a cashier hands you change, someone holds a door open, a taxi driver drops you off.

The literal translation is actually "shouldn't"—as in "you shouldn't have to do this for me." It's a polite acknowledgment that someone did their job or helped you out in a small way.

多謝 (do1 ze6) is what you say for gifts and significant favors. Someone gives you a birthday present? 多謝. Someone buys you dinner? 多謝. Someone gives you a compliment? 多謝. Someone goes way beyond what's expected to help you? 多謝.

The literal meaning is "many thanks" or "gratitude"—proper gratitude for something that goes beyond basic courtesy or someone's job.

The Quick Rule (That Works Most of the Time)

If money or a gift is involved, use 多謝. If it's a service or small favor, use 唔該.

This rule isn't perfect, but it'll get you through most situations. The waiter brings your food? 唔該. Your friend treats you to that meal? 多謝.

Here's where it gets important: if you say 唔該 when you should say 多謝, you come across as taking the person's kindness for granted. Like they had to do it for you. That's actually impolite.

If you say 多謝 when you should say 唔該, you just sound a bit strange. Not rude—just like you don't fully understand the nuances yet. Most people will let it slide.

So when in doubt? Err on the side of 多謝. It's the safer mistake.

How to Pronounce These Without Butchering Them

唔該 (m4 goi1) is two sounds. The first part, m4, is pronounced with your mouth closed—basically humming with a low, flat tone. The second part, goi1, has a high flat tone, almost like you're singing a note.

多謝 (do1 ze6) is a bit easier for English speakers. "Do" sounds like "dough," and "ze" rhymes with "jeh." The tones matter here too—do1 is high and flat, ze6 starts mid and rises.

If you're not hearing these in context from real Cantonese speakers, you're going to struggle. Reading romanization only gets you so far with a tonal language. You need to hear how people actually say these words in conversation, with the proper tone and rhythm.

Adding Emphasis When You Really Mean It

When you want to emphasize your thanks—like someone really went out of their way—you add 晒 (saai3) to the end.

唔該晒 (m4 goi1 saai3) means "thanks a lot" for services. Use this when the waiter was particularly attentive, or someone really helped you out with something in their line of work.

多謝晒 (do1 ze6 saai3) means "thank you very much" for gifts and major favors. This is for when someone gave you a really thoughtful present or did something significant for you.

The character 晒 means "entirely" or "completely"—so you're basically saying your gratitude is complete or total.

The Other Expressions You'll Actually Hear

There are a few other ways to express thanks in Cantonese that aren't just variations of 唔該 and 多謝.

麻煩晒 (maa4 faan4 saai3) literally means "bothered so much." You use this when someone went out of their way to help you—like a colleague spent time walking you somewhere, or someone carried something heavy for you. It acknowledges that you inconvenienced them, and you're grateful for their effort.

辛苦晒 (san1 fu2 saai3) means "thank you for your hard work." This one's specifically for acknowledging someone's effort and labor.

Why Hong Kong Culture Makes This Confusing

Here's something that'll mess with your head if you're coming from Western culture: Hong Kong locals don't say thank you as much as you're probably used to.

In Western cultures, we say "thank you" constantly. Someone passes the salt? Thank you. Someone does literally anything? Thank you. We've been trained that politeness means frequent verbal gratitude.

Hong Kong culture is different. People see a lot of everyday actions as just part of normal life—not something requiring verbal thanks every single time. When someone does say thank you, it actually carries more weight because it's not automatic.

This doesn't mean Hong Kongers are rude. It's just a different cultural approach to politeness. Actions matter more than words. If you're truly grateful, you show it by returning the favor when you can.

But as a learner, you should probably still say thank you more than locals do. Nobody's going to be offended by a foreigner being extra polite.

One More Thing: 唔該 Does Triple Duty

This is where 唔該 gets really useful. It doesn't just mean thank you—it also means "please" and "excuse me."

Need to get someone's attention? 唔該. Want to ask someone to pass you something? 唔該. Need to squeeze through a crowd? 唏該.

The context makes it clear which meaning you're going for. This actually makes 唔該 one of the most useful phrases you'll learn in Cantonese.

The Real Problem: Learning This from Textbooks Doesn't Work

You can memorize the rules I just explained. You can practice the pronunciation. You can even drill yourself on when to use 唔該 versus 多謝.

But here's what that won't teach you: how people actually use these expressions in real conversation. The exact situations where locals say each one. The tone and timing. The cultural feel of when something deserves a 唔該 versus a 多謝晒.

You don't learn that from a textbook or a list of rules. You learn it from hearing these expressions used naturally, over and over, in real Cantonese content.

This is exactly what Migaku is built for. Instead of drilling phrases in isolation, you learn from actual Hong Kong dramas, movies, podcasts—whatever content you want to consume anyway. When you hear someone say 唔該 in a scene, you see the exact context. You hear the tone. You understand why they used that specific expression in that specific moment.

You can click any word or phrase for instant definitions and pronunciation. When you encounter 唔該 or 多謝 in different contexts, Migaku creates flashcards with the actual sentence and audio from that scene. You're not memorizing rules—you're absorbing how native speakers actually use these expressions.

The flashcards use spaced repetition, so you review right before you forget. But more importantly, every review includes the real context where you first encountered the phrase. You're not just remembering "唔該 = thank you for services." You're remembering the specific scene where someone used it, which burns the proper usage into your brain way more effectively.

Start with a 10-day free trial and see what it's like to learn Cantonese from how people actually speak it. The rules matter, sure. But understanding the real usage? That's what actually makes you sound natural.